Looking back on the war, Mulder wishes they had saved more Dutch Jews. ‘No country lost more Jews than the Netherlands, according to their population,’ she recalled. ‘There were about 126,000 Jews and more than 100,000 did not return.’ Her parents took one 7-year-old as a member of their own family. ‘She stayed two years with us until the war was over,’ Mulder recalled. ‘She looked very much like me and like my mother. She could even go to school. My parents took their documents to city hall, and someone I knew entered her as a daughter of my parents. She is still my sister.’

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The Jewish girl’s parents, who were also in hiding, were frantic because they feared their dark-haired daughter would stand out among the blond and blue-eyed Frieslanders. Mulder, who is dark-haired herself, knew what to do. ‘I went to visit them. I told them, ‘I’m Tiny, and your daughter is living with me.’ That’s all I said. I didn’t tell them where I lived.’

Mulder next served as a translator for Allied forces when they arrived in 1945. After V-E Day she went to work as a journalist for a Frisian newspaper. She also began traveling to England, Canada and the United States, where she renewed her friendship with many of the 70 American, Canadian and British soldiers she had helped rescue.

In recognition for her service, Mulder received the Medal of Freedom with the Silver Palm from the United States. Despite her courageous work with the wartime Resistance, she apparently approached that ceremony with some trepidation. ‘That was more nerve-wracking than helping the fliers during the war,’ said Mulder. A short time later, the British government awarded her the King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom.

This article was written by Bette McDevitt and originally appeared in the November 2003 issue of World War II magazine. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today!

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